Understanding the Old Testament · Back of the book
A Simple Timeline
Every date in Understanding the Old Testament, in order, with the chapter that tells each part of the story.
Read down the left column only, if that is easier. The dates are there so you can check them.
The stories before history
- no dates possibleGod makes the world, the flood comes, and the nations are scattered at Babel. (Genesis 1–11)
- no dates possibleGod calls Abraham, and the story follows Isaac, Jacob and Joseph down to Egypt. (Genesis 12–50)
Slaves, and set free
- unknown; often placed in the 1200s BCMoses leads Israel out of slavery in Egypt, and they cross the sea on dry ground. (Exodus 1–14)
- unknown; the same yearsAt Mount Sinai, God gives the Law, and Leviticus tells the priests how to worship. (Exodus 19–20; Leviticus 1)
- unknown; the same yearsIsrael wanders forty years in the wilderness, because the first generation is afraid to enter the land. (Numbers 14)
- unknown; the same yearsMoses gives his farewell speech and dies looking across the Jordan. (Deuteronomy 1; 34)
The land
- unknown; often placed in the 1200s BCJoshua leads Israel across the Jordan, and Jericho falls in the story. (Joshua 3–6)
- about 1208 BCAn Egyptian stone set up by King Merneptah names Israel as a people living in Canaan.
- about 1200–1000 BCIsrael takes shape in the hill country, and judges such as Deborah, Gideon and Samson rescue the tribes. (Judges 4–16)
- the time of the judgesRuth, a foreign widow, becomes the great-grandmother of King David. (Ruth 4)
Kings
- the 1000s BCThe tribes ask for a king, and Samuel anoints Saul. (1 Samuel 8–10)
- about 1000 BCDavid takes Jerusalem and makes it his capital. (2 Samuel 5)
- about 970–930 BCSolomon rules and builds the Temple in Jerusalem. (1 Kings 6)
Two kingdoms
- about 930 BCSolomon dies, and the kingdom splits into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. (1 Kings 12)
- about 880–850 BCOmri builds Samaria, and his son Ahab rules Israel with Queen Jezebel. (1 Kings 16)
- about 850 BCThe prophet Elijah stands up to Ahab and Jezebel. (1 Kings 17–19)
- 841 BCJehu, who took Israel’s throne by killing Ahab’s family, bows to the king of Assyria on the Black Obelisk. (2 Kings 9–10)
- about 840 BCMesha, king of Moab, sets up a stone that names Omri and boasts of beating Israel. (2 Kings 3)
- about 760–750 BCAmos, a herdsman from Judah, preaches in the north under King Jeroboam II. (Amos 1; 2 Kings 14)
- about 750–725 BCHosea preaches in the north in the last years before Assyria destroys it. (Hosea 1)
- about 740–700 BC
Assyria
- 722 BCAssyria destroys the northern kingdom of Israel and takes Samaria. (2 Kings 17)
- 701 BCSennacherib of Assyria shuts King Hezekiah up in Jerusalem “like a bird in a cage,” but the city survives. (2 Kings 18–19)
- about 695–640 BCManasseh, the worst king of Judah, rules for fifty-five years. (2 Kings 21)
The last kings of Judah
- about 640–609 BCJosiah is king of Judah, and Zephaniah preaches in his reign. (2 Kings 22; Zephaniah 1)
- about 627 BCJeremiah begins to preach, and for forty years he warns that Babylon will take the city. (Jeremiah 1)
- 622 BCA scroll of the law is found in the Temple, and Josiah uses it to purge the land of other gods. (2 Kings 22–23)
- 612 BCBabylon and the Medes destroy Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and the poem of Nahum cheers its fall. (Nahum 3)
- 609 BCJosiah is killed in battle at Megiddo, and Babylon rises as the new empire. (2 Kings 23)
- about 605–597 BCHabakkuk asks why God would use a nation as cruel as Babylon. (Habakkuk 1)
- 597 BCNebuchadnezzar of Babylon takes Jerusalem and carries off the young king and thousands of leaders, among them the priest Ezekiel. (2 Kings 24; Ezekiel 1:1–3)
- 593–571 BCIn Babylon, Ezekiel sees God’s glory leave the Temple and a valley of dry bones come back to life. (Ezekiel 10; Ezekiel 37)
- 586 BCBabylon breaks into Jerusalem, burns the Temple and takes most of the survivors to Babylon. (2 Kings 25)
- soon after 586 BCLamentations mourns the ruined city, and Obadiah condemns Edom for joining in the looting. (Lamentations 1; Obadiah 1)
Exile
- 586–539 BC
- the late 600s to the 530s BCThe stories of Daniel are set at the courts of Babylon and Persia. (Daniel 1)
- 561 BCThe king of Babylon lets King Jehoiachin out of prison, the last event told in the books of Kings. (2 Kings 25)
Coming home
- 539–538 BCCyrus of Persia takes Babylon and lets the exiles go home to rebuild their Temple. (Ezra 1)
- 520 BCHaggai and Zechariah urge the returned exiles to finish the Temple. (Haggai 1; Zechariah 1)
- 515 BCThe Second Temple is finished. (Ezra 6)
- 486–465 BCEsther is set at the court of King Ahasuerus, usually identified with the Persian king Xerxes. (Esther 1)
- the 400s BCEzra, a priest and scribe, comes from Persia to teach the Law. (Ezra 7)
- 445 BCNehemiah comes to Jerusalem as governor and rebuilds the city’s walls. (Nehemiah 2–6)
- the 400s BCMalachi scolds the priests of the rebuilt Temple. (Malachi 1)
- the 500s–400s BCMost scholars think the five books of the Law reach their final form in the Persian years.
- the 400s–200s BCThe Psalms, many of them headed with David’s name, are gathered into something close to the collection you have now. (Psalm 1)
- perhaps the 500s–300s BC
- the 400s–300s BCProverbs reaches its final form after growing for centuries. (Proverbs 1)
- the 400s–200s BCMany scholars date the Song of Songs to these years, though some of its poems may be older. (Song of Songs 1)
- probably the 300s BCChronicles retells the whole history, from Adam to Cyrus, for the people who have come back. (1 Chronicles 1; 2 Chronicles 36)
The Greeks
- 332 BCAlexander the Great sweeps through, and the land passes from the Persians to the Greeks.
- about 300–200 BCThe Greek kings of Egypt, the Ptolemies, rule the land.
- from the 200s BCJews in Alexandria begin to translate the scriptures into Greek, in the translation called the Septuagint.
- about 200 BCThe Greek kings of Syria, the Seleucids, take over the land.
- the 300s–200s BCEcclesiastes is probably written in the Greek age, scholars think. (Ecclesiastes 1)
The Maccabees
- 167 BCAntiochus IV bans circumcision and the Sabbath and puts an altar to a Greek god in the Temple. (1 Maccabees 1)
- about 165 BCMost scholars think the book of Daniel was finished to give hope to people who are being tortured for their faith. (Daniel 7–12)
- 164 BCThe Maccabees take back the Temple and dedicate it again, which is remembered as Hanukkah. (1 Maccabees 4; John 10)
- about 140–63 BCThe Hasmoneans, the family of the Maccabees, rule as high priests and, from about 104 BC, as kings.
Rome
- 63 BCThe Roman general Pompey takes Jerusalem and walks into the Holy of Holies.
- 40 BCThe Roman Senate names Herod king of Judea.
- 37 BCHerod takes Jerusalem.
- 4 BCHerod dies.
- about 4 BC
How the scrolls reached you
- the 200s BC to the first century ADScribes copy the scrolls later called the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include every book of the Old Testament except Esther and Nehemiah.
- AD 70The Romans burn the Temple in Jerusalem, as I said they would. (Mark 13:1–2)
- AD 1008The Leningrad Codex, the oldest complete copy of the Hebrew Bible, is written out.
- about AD 1200Stephen Langton adds chapter numbers to the Bible.
- the 1550sRobert Estienne adds verse numbers to the Bible.
- from 1947A shepherd boy finds the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls in a cave near the Dead Sea, and more are found in the years after.